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The Ghana Oil Palm Development Company (GOPDC), based at Kwae in the Kwaebibirem District, is releasing GH� 7,500 to Kusi where it has a plantation. An amount of GH� 1,500, being the first part payment has been presented to the Kusi Traditional Council. The rest of the money would be used for the development of the Kusi Community when a committee is formed to manage the funds. The Company's Community Relations Officer, Alhaji Bashir Manu, said it was a policy of the GOPDC to assist in the development of communities that offered lands for the expansion of its plantation. He said the Company had accordingly signed an agreement with those communities under which the Traditional Council would receive yearly financial assistance and the communities would also get community development funds after committees have been set up to manage them. Alhaji Manu said at the presentation ceremony that, consistent with agreements signed with the various communities, budget allocation to the development fund of the beneficiary communities was based on the total land released for the Company's plantation project at Okumaning. He said while other communities were receiving large amounts by releasing their lands for the Company, the Kusi community, by virtue of the small land area released for the project, received a comparatively low amount. Alhaji Manu urged the Kusi Traditional Council to increase the land released to enable it to receive an enhanced budget for their community development. Recently, the Okumaning Traditional Council received cheques for GH� 12,000 from the Company and an amount of GH� 47,000 is to be paid later to the town's community development fund. GOPDC has a large plantation at Okumaning with satellite plantations in neighbouring communities.